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LIVING TRUSTS AND AVOIDING PROBATE

How Living Trusts Avoid Probate

It's about as easy to prepare a living trust as it is to write a will. But property left through a will generally goes through probate, causing survivors delay and expense. (Probate involves appraising the property, paying debts, and distributing what's left.) When you make a living trust -- a device in which you hold property as a "trustee" -- your surviving family members can transfer your property quickly and easily, without probate.

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Are beneficiaries entitled to information about a living trust before they inherit?

My parents, who are still alive, have told me they're going to leave me an inheritance in the form of a living trust. Since the trust is already in existence, with me as a beneficiary, am I allowed to receive statements from the holder of the trust -- in this case, a bank?

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Make a Trust

  1. Decide if you need a shared trust.
  2. Decide what items to leave in the trust.
  3. Decide who will inherit your trust property.
  4. Choose someone to be your successor trustee.
  5. Choose someone to manage children's property.
  6. Prepare the trust and sign it in front of a notary.
  7. Transfer title of property to yourself as trustee.
  8. Store your trust document safely.

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